Online recruitment (also known as E-Recruitment) is the use of the internet as a medium for potential employees to access information to job vacancies, requirements and information on the organisation as well as contact details in order for communication to take place between employers and candidates. The principal attraction of e- recruitment for employers is its ability to allow positions to be advertised and promoted inexpensively to a widespread audience.
The main types of online recruitment are corporate websites, commercial job boards, agency sites and Web 2.0 mediums such as blogs and social media websites.
Over the years there had been growth in the use of e-recruitment as a method of attracting potential employees, however the success of its use is based heavily on the likelihood of Internet surfers being within the target market.
History and Use of Online Recruitment
As the use of the internet became more readily available in the early 1990’s, more companies took advantage of its wide reach. It introduced speed and efficiency into the recruitment process and eliminated the long wait that came with traditional methods such as newspaper printed adverisements and mailing CVs, which could take weeks for a response.
By the 2000’s, the way that the internet was used for recruitment was changing and people were becoming more creative with the use of e-recruitment. Web 2.0 arrived and this meant the use of blogs and social media sites such as LinkedIn, a social media platform primarily for the interaction between business people, and employees and employers which launched in 2003.
Today, almost half the population use social media sites and the introduction of smart phones has meant that recruitment apps and advertisements on social media platforms are far more widely available than had been in the past.
In 2015, socialtalent.co.uk established some statistics surrounding the top UK job boards for that year. These included that 85% of recruiters used paid sources to advertise their jobs online and that of these sites, the most popular was indeed.co.uk as the number one most sought out, followed by reach.co.uk and total jobs.com.
The main types of online recruitment are corporate websites, commercial job boards, agency sites, and Web 2.0 (social media platforms and blogs).
Corporate websites
These are details listed directly on the company website or the company’s own career website and usually states the job role vacancy, requirements and specifications and how to apply. Some corporate websites include more information such as salary, benefits and more detailed information on job requirements included in the role. Introducing this zone into an existing company website can be beneficial as it is a good starting point and relatively inexpensive, however the drawback of this is that, other than for high-profile established organisations, there is little need for a potential applicant to initially seek out the company website for jobs. If they should seek out a corporate website for this purpose, the effectiveness of this channel further relies on the websites user friendliness and ease of navigation.
There can also be job roles advertised on a company’s internal intranet for existing employees of the organisation to access information to upcoming vacancies, allowing the business the opportunity to recruitment from within the company.
(John Lewis Partnership Career Website: jlpjobs.com 2017)
(Sainsburys Online Application 2017)
Online Recruitment programme: Xerox
Xerox use a e-recruitment program that provides businesses with access to self-service recruitment and therefore enables managers to manage the entire process. They employ 6000 sales staff working in 600 individual businesses and receive 100,000 applications per year for 2000 positions and so it is important that these numbers are managed effectively. Internet access to a e-HR portal is divided into a ‘Xerox-manager gateway’ and a ‘job-applicant gateway’ enabling the recruiters to post available positions online as well as receive applications and create a channel of communication.
Screening criteria, database searches, scoring engines as well as a job posting engine ensure the maximum input of candidate sources and therefore generates shortlists. This results in a focused recruitment campaign and the strength and control over internal and external processes, individuals and agencies.
Commercial Job Boards
Examples of these are the popular Monster.co.uk, fish4jobs.com, reed.co.uk, indeed.co.uk and totaljobs.com. These are sites which contain thousands of vacancies on large databanks and are operated by specialised firms who charge businesses in return for listing the available jobs on the site. Introducing a separate website for recruitment is far costlier to be produced, however gives way for better means of promotion and is likely to reach a wider pool of jobseekers. This can also produce a strong corporate identity
for each individual business as they are able to include detailed job descriptions as well as career and training opportunities.
Established recruitment agencies provide information and advice to candidates after they register online. Following in-person meetings to discuss skills, qualifications and other CV details, they are then forwarded to a potential employer for a vacancy. Agencies effectively act as ‘middle-men’ between the company and candidates, although there is no guarantee of a position once the candidate has been put forward, the process usually goes back to a normal application and interview process.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the second generation of web activity where individuals can interact with each other rather than just receive the information on a one-way basis. The interaction takes place on blogs and social networking websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, which combined share millions of users, thereby giving companies access to a great deal of potential applicants. They also allow for a ‘headhunting’ style of recruitment, whereby companies can approach candidates for job roles rather that the other way around. These methods however do carry their ethical issues in relation to privacy and security of personal information. How a person may present themselves on social media could potentially affect their likelihood of securing a job. (Searle 2004) recognised “surveillance” and the suitability of observing information gathered from these sites when making decisions in the recruitment and selection process.
CIPD (2013:13) recognised the major networking sites used by employers are;
- LinkedIn 82%
- Facebook 51%
- Twitter 55%
A survey conducted by DWP (2009) displayed the benefits of these social networking sites for jobseekers and showed that 1/3 of employers use the sites to connect with potential employees and reach out to a wider spectrum of talent. 1/2 of the employers stated that if candidates devoted time developing a strong online site with links to career networks, they were more likely to be hired.
Social Media Recruitment: Microsoft
Following strong competition from companies such as Google and Apple to attract top talent for applications, Microsoft recently embarked on a major recruitment overhaul in order to revitalise their outdated online recruiting presence. They aimed to improve the user experience in order to ease navigation as well as create and project a consistent global message.
The result was a new and improved Microsoft careers site, the online component also includes links to channels such as social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Using these mediums, such as Twitter, the @MicrosoftJobs account has over 75,000 followers (as of February 2017) and therefore reaches a huge range of people.
They applied a Facebook strategy, introducing a Microsoft careers page where, similarly to Twitter, people are able to find information about job opportunities that are updated on a regular basis. This page (as of February 2017) has attracted over half 1 million “likes” and “follows".
The LinkedIn strategy also lead to a Microsoft careers page on the social media site and further provides information on available job positions as well as benefits and life at the Microsoft company. Microsoft saved £60,000 on recruitment fees as a result of using LinkedIn to recruit new employees for a new project.
And finally the YouTube channel Microsoft careers contains over 100 uploaded videos providing information including internships culture and diversity within Microsoft, whilst also providing insights from employee perspective on the nature and culture of a position at the company.
All these platforms contain information and links on how to contact the business regarding applying for a position, as well as links to the other sites, gaining awareness and encouraging communication through all Internet platforms.
As well as these main and most popular methods, people are still using the Internet for the basic uses such as email in order to contact potential employers. Some prefer to “cut out the middleman” and directly contact a business. This allows a two-way communication straightaway and the ability to attach a CV.
Use of Internet in Selection Process
Once this initial stage of recruitment is completed, an organisation may use further means of online engagement to aid the selection process. After receiving online applications or forwarded CVs from jobsites, agencies etc. businesses often begin selecting and therefore eliminating candidates by interviews and other techniques. Although many businesses still operate in-person interviews, many companies are embracing the technological age and are using online operations such as Skype and Google hangouts to conduct interviews with applicants. These are video chats which are essentially an updated version of a more traditionally seen method of telephone interviews. However, many employers see these as too impersonal, especially for smaller businesses with less staff, as this is often difficult to determine whether the candidate is the right fit for the company. This works the other way round too; a candidate may not be able to establish whether the company is the right workplace for them personally.
The methods of online recruitment also carry the advantage that shortlisting can be undertaken quickly by new technologies such as CV matching software and the online application forms. Online shortlisting software such as this is able to screen out unsuitable applications, however they are not always reliable as some of them work by locating keywords within the CV and inevitably have a ‘hit and miss’ character that could be deemed unfair. There are also online application systems which include a handful of questions designed to sift out unsuitable candidates at an early stage. These often favour those of a particular background and those of an unconventional career background are likely to be disregarded.
The use of psychometric tests in online applications can be used to filter out applicants who are not willing to invest time and effort to complete the forms. These are a form of psychological assessment and can be systematically scored and administered to measure individual differences. These include attitude, ability, personality, intelligence and attainment. However, these could be viewed as unreliable as there is no guarantee that the test is being completed within a predetermined time limit or by the candidate themselves.
Management in Practice: Nike
Global sportswear brand Nike receives hundreds of applications every month and so these high volumes placed considerable pressure on the HR resources at the company. To accompany this high intake of applications and CVs, Nike was forced to review its HR processes and aimed to reduce their cost per hire as well as improving the overall quality of talent hired. They also planned to minimise response times and maintain a good consistency when handling administration of each candidate, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the recruitment process.
JobPartners, who create management software solutions, provided Nike with ActiveRecruiter which aids in managing the entire recruitment process, offering simplicity and flexibility. It implemented new channels to candidates to allow them to apply for specific roles and established electronic links between external recruitment organisations.
ActiveRecruiter begins the process with the initial match between a roles requirements and the experience and competencies of an applicant. It then stores a pool of applicants on file, allowing the company a readily available inventory of CVs for future job vacancies.
Other methods of recruitment in comparison
According to Frankland (2000) the cost of setting up a good website is roughly equivalent to that associated with advertising a single high-profile job in a newspaper. Newspaper’s were traditionally used to advertise job vacancies and are still widely used by local businesses as well as some more established companies. They, however, cannot be updated as quickly and efficiently and also require a condensed job description in order to fit the publication.
Vacancy boards, whether internal or external, and posters and leaflets carry the same disadvantage as newspapers as advertisements can become outdated quickly. Although they allow more room for information, there are also the additional costs of printing and posting the advertisements.
Employment agencies and job centres carry the benefit of a more personal support for job seekers however, the ease and low cost of searching and applying for jobs online from the comfort of your own home can often appeal more to those especially with a busy lifestyle.
While employers rank the Internet highly over other methods in terms of its cost effectiveness, they are much less convinced when asked about the quality of applicants and the ability of web based advertising to source the right candidates (IRS 2005:45)
Benefits of Online Recruitment
Reaches a wide range of possible applicants
As previously mentioned, with almost all households having access to the Internet in the UK, online recruitment carries the possibility of a job advertisement reaching the widest variety of potential candidates.
Cheaper and quicker than traditional methods
According to Pilbeam & Corbridge (2010) advertising on the Internet for six months costs approximately the same as one full display advertisement in a broadsheet newspaper.
More detailed information can be provided on online platforms
Traditional means of recruitment such as newspaper advertisements often mean that employers must condense the information in order for it to print. Internet sites mean that more information can be displayed of a higher detail, giving a clear description of the available job position.
CVs and applications can be submitted electronically
Although this essentially existed alongside email, job sites, agencies and many corporate sites allow applicants to upload their CV and job application electronically, therefore allowing a quick and immediate response to an advertisement.
Shortlisting can be undertaken quickly
With the use of online software to screen out unsuitable candidates, companies can shortlist applicants more quickly and efficiently.
Provides global coverage 24/7
Is a cost-effective way to build a talent bank for future vacancies
Unsuccessful candidates can be logged for future vacancies on a data bank, saving time and resources when recruiting in the future.
Drawbacks of Online Recruitment
Employers can often find themselves “bombarded “with hundreds of applications
Widespread access to job vacancies carries the risk of the employer receiving an overload of applications as well as applications from inappropriate candidates.
Resource intensive when filtering through applications
Following employers being “bombarded” with applications, the process that requires eliminating unsuitable applications could be seen as resource intensive. Filtering through applications by hand is incredibly time and labour consuming and so often companies must rely on technology to screen out the unsuitable applications, which often can also prove to be unreliable.
Biased towards Millennials
Online recruitment could be deemed in favour of millennial jobseekers, as these are likely to have the most experience using Internet operations as they would have likely used in school, college and university. Thereby giving an advantage over older generations who have less experience using computers or digital devices in order to search the Internet for job vacancies.
Potential risk concerning security and confidentiality
As well as the risk of a breach in security and confidentiality, the threat alone can deter potential applicants from applying in the first place. There have been issues concerning the circulation of CVs unauthorised by the applicant as a result of poor ethical standards on the part of cyber agencies. Some agencies have posted fake job vacancies or inflated the advertised pay rates in order to collect the CVs. As Searle (2004) suggested, there are issues of concern around privacy and equity and that information can be used in unattended ways.
Could be deemed inappropriate for some job roles
Online recruitment is commonly used for graduate jobs, knowledge workers and middle management jobs and so could be deemed inappropriate for blue-collar workers and target groups such as those in the older generation.
Heightens competition and some companies have advantage, particularly if an organisations website is below the search engine ranking of competitors
Large corporate companies often have the advantage of appearing on the top results on a search engine, such as Google, when an applicant searches for job vacancies. This gives an advantage over smaller companies who are much further down the list and therefore likely to miss out on these candidates.
Carries the risk of losing out on candidates who do not have access to the Internet or prefer to use other means of job seeking
Although most households have access to the internet, there are still a percentage of job seekers who either do not have this access, or prefer to attend an agency or business in-person seeking employment.
Although it has its drawbacks, the low financial cost and high efficiency make it a low cost risk for businesses to take when approaching new employment methods. In order for businesses to optimise the use of their online recruitment strategies, it would be useful to ensure these mediums are kept up-to-date and combine these with other methods of recruitment in order to maximise response.
Conclusion
Is Online Recruitment new?
Online recruitment has only become apparent within the last 20 years, and so in respect to a long history of recruitment methods within companies you could say it is fairly new. However, when referring to recent years and to modern day technology, online recruitment is not a new concept as it is continually changing and evolving with the introduction of new Internet mediums and sites.
Is Online Recruitment a trend?
There appears to be a trend in reference to online recruitment, as more and more social media websites and mediums are appearing as technology continues to develop, giving people the ease of communication through smart phones, tablets and other digital systems. As we go forward more and more companies are starting up online, therefore giving a platform for online recruitment, as well as existing companies joining the trend of taking business online. The use of recruitment online has increased rapidly since the rise of the internet, as the Pew research centre reported that 54% of US adults used the internet when seeking employment and 45% applied for jobs online. This has doubled since 2005 where only 26% sought out jobs online.
Is Online Recruitment a management practice?
E-recruitment appears as a management strategy in many modern workforces as more and more companies adopt it in their Human Resource practices. The online characteristic allows a better organised method of recruitment as the digital aspect requires little management whereby all applications can be filtered into one place and therefore easier to select.
Word count: 3135
References
Armstrong, M. & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Kogan Page Publishers. 523-525.
Table of Contents
What is Online Recruitment?
Online recruitment (also known as E-Recruitment) is the use of the internet as a medium for potential employees to access information to job vacancies, requirements and information on the organisation as well as contact details in order for communication to take place between employers and candidates. The principal attraction of e- recruitment for employers is its ability to allow positions to be advertised and promoted inexpensively to a widespread audience.
The main types of online recruitment are corporate websites, commercial job boards, agency sites and Web 2.0 mediums such as blogs and social media websites.
Over the years there had been growth in the use of e-recruitment as a method of attracting potential employees, however the success of its use is based heavily on the likelihood of Internet surfers being within the target market.
History and Use of Online Recruitment
As the use of the internet became more readily available in the early 1990’s, more companies took advantage of its wide reach. It introduced speed and efficiency into the recruitment process and eliminated the long wait that came with traditional methods such as newspaper printed adverisements and mailing CVs, which could take weeks for a response.
By the 2000’s, the way that the internet was used for recruitment was changing and people were becoming more creative with the use of e-recruitment. Web 2.0 arrived and this meant the use of blogs and social media sites such as LinkedIn, a social media platform primarily for the interaction between business people, and employees and employers which launched in 2003.
Today, almost half the population use social media sites and the introduction of smart phones has meant that recruitment apps and advertisements on social media platforms are far more widely available than had been in the past.
In 2015, socialtalent.co.uk established some statistics surrounding the top UK job boards for that year. These included that 85% of recruiters used paid sources to advertise their jobs online and that of these sites, the most popular was indeed.co.uk as the number one most sought out, followed by reach.co.uk and total jobs.com.
Types of Online Recruitment
The main types of online recruitment are corporate websites, commercial job boards, agency sites, and Web 2.0 (social media platforms and blogs).
Corporate websites
These are details listed directly on the company website or the company’s own career website and usually states the job role vacancy, requirements and specifications and how to apply. Some corporate websites include more information such as salary, benefits and more detailed information on job requirements included in the role. Introducing this zone into an existing company website can be beneficial as it is a good starting point and relatively inexpensive, however the drawback of this is that, other than for high-profile established organisations, there is little need for a potential applicant to initially seek out the company website for jobs. If they should seek out a corporate website for this purpose, the effectiveness of this channel further relies on the websites user friendliness and ease of navigation.
There can also be job roles advertised on a company’s internal intranet for existing employees of the organisation to access information to upcoming vacancies, allowing the business the opportunity to recruitment from within the company.
(John Lewis Partnership Career Website: jlpjobs.com 2017)
(Sainsburys Online Application 2017)
Online Recruitment programme: Xerox
Xerox use a e-recruitment program that provides businesses with access to self-service recruitment and therefore enables managers to manage the entire process. They employ 6000 sales staff working in 600 individual businesses and receive 100,000 applications per year for 2000 positions and so it is important that these numbers are managed effectively. Internet access to a e-HR portal is divided into a ‘Xerox-manager gateway’ and a ‘job-applicant gateway’ enabling the recruiters to post available positions online as well as receive applications and create a channel of communication.
Screening criteria, database searches, scoring engines as well as a job posting engine ensure the maximum input of candidate sources and therefore generates shortlists. This results in a focused recruitment campaign and the strength and control over internal and external processes, individuals and agencies.
Commercial Job Boards
Examples of these are the popular Monster.co.uk, fish4jobs.com, reed.co.uk, indeed.co.uk and totaljobs.com. These are sites which contain thousands of vacancies on large databanks and are operated by specialised firms who charge businesses in return for listing the available jobs on the site. Introducing a separate website for recruitment is far costlier to be produced, however gives way for better means of promotion and is likely to reach a wider pool of jobseekers. This can also produce a strong corporate identity
for each individual business as they are able to include detailed job descriptions as well as career and training opportunities.
(Monster.co.uk 2017: https://www.monster.co.uk)
(Reed.co.uk 2017: https://www.reed.co.uk)
Agency sites
Established recruitment agencies provide information and advice to candidates after they register online. Following in-person meetings to discuss skills, qualifications and other CV details, they are then forwarded to a potential employer for a vacancy. Agencies effectively act as ‘middle-men’ between the company and candidates, although there is no guarantee of a position once the candidate has been put forward, the process usually goes back to a normal application and interview process.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the second generation of web activity where individuals can interact with each other rather than just receive the information on a one-way basis. The interaction takes place on blogs and social networking websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, which combined share millions of users, thereby giving companies access to a great deal of potential applicants. They also allow for a ‘headhunting’ style of recruitment, whereby companies can approach candidates for job roles rather that the other way around. These methods however do carry their ethical issues in relation to privacy and security of personal information. How a person may present themselves on social media could potentially affect their likelihood of securing a job. (Searle 2004) recognised “surveillance” and the suitability of observing information gathered from these sites when making decisions in the recruitment and selection process.
CIPD (2013:13) recognised the major networking sites used by employers are;
A survey conducted by DWP (2009) displayed the benefits of these social networking sites for jobseekers and showed that 1/3 of employers use the sites to connect with potential employees and reach out to a wider spectrum of talent. 1/2 of the employers stated that if candidates devoted time developing a strong online site with links to career networks, they were more likely to be hired.
Social Media Recruitment: Microsoft
Following strong competition from companies such as Google and Apple to attract top talent for applications, Microsoft recently embarked on a major recruitment overhaul in order to revitalise their outdated online recruiting presence. They aimed to improve the user experience in order to ease navigation as well as create and project a consistent global message.
The result was a new and improved Microsoft careers site, the online component also includes links to channels such as social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Using these mediums, such as Twitter, the @MicrosoftJobs account has over 75,000 followers (as of February 2017) and therefore reaches a huge range of people.
(Microsoft Jobs Twitter 2017:https://twitter.com/MicrosoftJobs)
They applied a Facebook strategy, introducing a Microsoft careers page where, similarly to Twitter, people are able to find information about job opportunities that are updated on a regular basis. This page (as of February 2017) has attracted over half 1 million “likes” and “follows".
The LinkedIn strategy also lead to a Microsoft careers page on the social media site and further provides information on available job positions as well as benefits and life at the Microsoft company. Microsoft saved £60,000 on recruitment fees as a result of using LinkedIn to recruit new employees for a new project.
And finally the YouTube channel Microsoft careers contains over 100 uploaded videos providing information including internships culture and diversity within Microsoft, whilst also providing insights from employee perspective on the nature and culture of a position at the company.
All these platforms contain information and links on how to contact the business regarding applying for a position, as well as links to the other sites, gaining awareness and encouraging communication through all Internet platforms.
As well as these main and most popular methods, people are still using the Internet for the basic uses such as email in order to contact potential employers. Some prefer to “cut out the middleman” and directly contact a business. This allows a two-way communication straightaway and the ability to attach a CV.Use of Internet in Selection Process
Once this initial stage of recruitment is completed, an organisation may use further means of online engagement to aid the selection process. After receiving online applications or forwarded CVs from jobsites, agencies etc. businesses often begin selecting and therefore eliminating candidates by interviews and other techniques. Although many businesses still operate in-person interviews, many companies are embracing the technological age and are using online operations such as Skype and Google hangouts to conduct interviews with applicants. These are video chats which are essentially an updated version of a more traditionally seen method of telephone interviews. However, many employers see these as too impersonal, especially for smaller businesses with less staff, as this is often difficult to determine whether the candidate is the right fit for the company. This works the other way round too; a candidate may not be able to establish whether the company is the right workplace for them personally.
The methods of online recruitment also carry the advantage that shortlisting can be undertaken quickly by new technologies such as CV matching software and the online application forms. Online shortlisting software such as this is able to screen out unsuitable applications, however they are not always reliable as some of them work by locating keywords within the CV and inevitably have a ‘hit and miss’ character that could be deemed unfair. There are also online application systems which include a handful of questions designed to sift out unsuitable candidates at an early stage. These often favour those of a particular background and those of an unconventional career background are likely to be disregarded.
The use of psychometric tests in online applications can be used to filter out applicants who are not willing to invest time and effort to complete the forms. These are a form of psychological assessment and can be systematically scored and administered to measure individual differences. These include attitude, ability, personality, intelligence and attainment. However, these could be viewed as unreliable as there is no guarantee that the test is being completed within a predetermined time limit or by the candidate themselves.
Management in Practice: Nike
Global sportswear brand Nike receives hundreds of applications every month and so these high volumes placed considerable pressure on the HR resources at the company. To accompany this high intake of applications and CVs, Nike was forced to review its HR processes and aimed to reduce their cost per hire as well as improving the overall quality of talent hired. They also planned to minimise response times and maintain a good consistency when handling administration of each candidate, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the recruitment process.
JobPartners, who create management software solutions, provided Nike with ActiveRecruiter which aids in managing the entire recruitment process, offering simplicity and flexibility. It implemented new channels to candidates to allow them to apply for specific roles and established electronic links between external recruitment organisations.
ActiveRecruiter begins the process with the initial match between a roles requirements and the experience and competencies of an applicant. It then stores a pool of applicants on file, allowing the company a readily available inventory of CVs for future job vacancies.
Other methods of recruitment in comparison
According to Frankland (2000) the cost of setting up a good website is roughly equivalent to that associated with advertising a single high-profile job in a newspaper. Newspaper’s were traditionally used to advertise job vacancies and are still widely used by local businesses as well as some more established companies. They, however, cannot be updated as quickly and efficiently and also require a condensed job description in order to fit the publication.
Vacancy boards, whether internal or external, and posters and leaflets carry the same disadvantage as newspapers as advertisements can become outdated quickly. Although they allow more room for information, there are also the additional costs of printing and posting the advertisements.
Employment agencies and job centres carry the benefit of a more personal support for job seekers however, the ease and low cost of searching and applying for jobs online from the comfort of your own home can often appeal more to those especially with a busy lifestyle.
While employers rank the Internet highly over other methods in terms of its cost effectiveness, they are much less convinced when asked about the quality of applicants and the ability of web based advertising to source the right candidates (IRS 2005:45)
Benefits of Online Recruitment
As previously mentioned, with almost all households having access to the Internet in the UK, online recruitment carries the possibility of a job advertisement reaching the widest variety of potential candidates.
According to Pilbeam & Corbridge (2010) advertising on the Internet for six months costs approximately the same as one full display advertisement in a broadsheet newspaper.
Traditional means of recruitment such as newspaper advertisements often mean that employers must condense the information in order for it to print. Internet sites mean that more information can be displayed of a higher detail, giving a clear description of the available job position.
Although this essentially existed alongside email, job sites, agencies and many corporate sites allow applicants to upload their CV and job application electronically, therefore allowing a quick and immediate response to an advertisement.
With the use of online software to screen out unsuitable candidates, companies can shortlist applicants more quickly and efficiently.
Unsuccessful candidates can be logged for future vacancies on a data bank, saving time and resources when recruiting in the future.
Drawbacks of Online Recruitment
Widespread access to job vacancies carries the risk of the employer receiving an overload of applications as well as applications from inappropriate candidates.
Following employers being “bombarded” with applications, the process that requires eliminating unsuitable applications could be seen as resource intensive. Filtering through applications by hand is incredibly time and labour consuming and so often companies must rely on technology to screen out the unsuitable applications, which often can also prove to be unreliable.
Online recruitment could be deemed in favour of millennial jobseekers, as these are likely to have the most experience using Internet operations as they would have likely used in school, college and university. Thereby giving an advantage over older generations who have less experience using computers or digital devices in order to search the Internet for job vacancies.
As well as the risk of a breach in security and confidentiality, the threat alone can deter potential applicants from applying in the first place. There have been issues concerning the circulation of CVs unauthorised by the applicant as a result of poor ethical standards on the part of cyber agencies. Some agencies have posted fake job vacancies or inflated the advertised pay rates in order to collect the CVs. As Searle (2004) suggested, there are issues of concern around privacy and equity and that information can be used in unattended ways.
Online recruitment is commonly used for graduate jobs, knowledge workers and middle management jobs and so could be deemed inappropriate for blue-collar workers and target groups such as those in the older generation.
Large corporate companies often have the advantage of appearing on the top results on a search engine, such as Google, when an applicant searches for job vacancies. This gives an advantage over smaller companies who are much further down the list and therefore likely to miss out on these candidates.
Although most households have access to the internet, there are still a percentage of job seekers who either do not have this access, or prefer to attend an agency or business in-person seeking employment.
Although it has its drawbacks, the low financial cost and high efficiency make it a low cost risk for businesses to take when approaching new employment methods. In order for businesses to optimise the use of their online recruitment strategies, it would be useful to ensure these mediums are kept up-to-date and combine these with other methods of recruitment in order to maximise response.
Conclusion
Is Online Recruitment new?
Online recruitment has only become apparent within the last 20 years, and so in respect to a long history of recruitment methods within companies you could say it is fairly new. However, when referring to recent years and to modern day technology, online recruitment is not a new concept as it is continually changing and evolving with the introduction of new Internet mediums and sites.Is Online Recruitment a trend?
There appears to be a trend in reference to online recruitment, as more and more social media websites and mediums are appearing as technology continues to develop, giving people the ease of communication through smart phones, tablets and other digital systems. As we go forward more and more companies are starting up online, therefore giving a platform for online recruitment, as well as existing companies joining the trend of taking business online. The use of recruitment online has increased rapidly since the rise of the internet, as the Pew research centre reported that 54% of US adults used the internet when seeking employment and 45% applied for jobs online. This has doubled since 2005 where only 26% sought out jobs online.Is Online Recruitment a management practice?
E-recruitment appears as a management strategy in many modern workforces as more and more companies adopt it in their Human Resource practices. The online characteristic allows a better organised method of recruitment as the digital aspect requires little management whereby all applications can be filtered into one place and therefore easier to select.Word count: 3135
References
Armstrong, M. & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Kogan Page Publishers. 523-525.
Ayekoo. (2016). Online Recruitment . Available: http://cdn.classfmonline.com/kitnes/data/2016/01/04/1.8524882.jpg. Last accessed 08/02/2017.
Beardwell, J. & Claydon, T. (2007). Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach. 5th ed. Harlow, Essex: Pearson. 203–206.
Blogspot. (n/a). Job Application Form. Available: http://jobapplicationform-uk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/sainsburys-job-application-form-find.html. Last accessed 08/02/2017
David, T. (2016). 13 Recruiting Stats HR Pros Must Know in 2016. Available: http://www.careerarc.com/blog/2016/01/13-recruiting-stats-hr-pro-must-know-2016/. Last accessed 06/02/2017.
hr13. (2016). The rise of e-recruitment. Available: http://blogs.gre.ac.uk/mahrm/2016/10/25/30/. Last accessed 31/01/17.
John Lewis Partnership. (2017). Careers. Available: http://jlpjobs.com. Last accessed 08/02/2017.
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